THE NATIONAL GALLERY of Ireland is to close on Thursday as some staff members hold a one day strike.

Room attendants at the gallery and maintenance staff are going on strike over a disagreement about leave and pay arrangements.

“The strike action planned for 5 June is regrettable and we apologise for any inconvenience this one-day closure may cause our visitors,” said Sean Rainbird, the director of the National Gallery.

The dispute stems from a Labour Court recommendation about getting rid of certain leave arrangements and cutting some payments to staff. The gallery has said that the payments were no longer sustainable, while SIPTU, which represents the workers, has argued strongly against this.

The management of the gallery has implemented the Labour Court recommendation.

The National Gallery is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country, behind only the Guinness Storehouse, Dublin Zoo, the Cliffs of Moher and the National Acquatic Centre.  More than 660,000 people visited it in 2012.

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